The Bright Continent

A Government Implosion Looms in the Kingdom of the Frogs

With a nod to the unrefined way in which Western observers look at African affairs, I offer the Netherlands a satirical mirror in the run-up to its…

Oct 26 • 

Daaf Borren

7

2

July 2025

L’Étoile de la Rue (The Star of the Street)

About a documentary that follows 17-year-old Saliou, a gifted basketball player that sets his sights on the NBA, while his ambitions collide with the…

Jul 27 • 

Daaf Borren

 and 

Sethi Djegane Gueye

7

5

Africa lies beyond Eden and Hell alike

Here is the English version of an interview I recently had with my former university. It nicely captures how I view the African continent and where, in…

Jul 20 • 

Daaf Borren

7

4

June 2025

The bitterness of Ivorian cocoa

Join me on a visit to a cocoa plantation nestled in Côte d’Ivoire's interior, and learn about the ideas of an Ivorian PhD candidate to safeguard both…

Jun 8 • 

Daaf Borren

13

3

May 2025

Russia and the EU in the Sahel: a race for influence

Eleven coup attempts in four years, a rise in jihadist movements, and Putin bolstering his presence – the Sahel region is facing turbulent times.

May 4 • 

Daaf Borren

8

April 2025

Ethiopian encounters

Behold, the coolest kids on the block in Addis Ababa.

Apr 14 • 

Daaf Borren

3

0:36

The world's youngest country is going through puberty

South Sudan - Why freedom fighters can't be nation builders and ever-hopeful youth movements should have our attention.

Apr 10 • 

Daaf Borren

8

March 2025

A bit of Togo, a hint of teargas and a pinch of Trump

What covering government protests in Togo taught me about Trumpism in Africa and my Eurocentric blinders.

Mar 16 • 

Daaf Borren

17

2

January 2025

Hop aboard the China Express

Join me on a stage of the "New Silk Road" that evokes both joy and anger in Kenya

Jan 19 • 

Daaf Borren

19

9

May 2024

General Butt Naked - A former Liberian warlord who pleas for justice

For this edition of The Bright Continent, I discussed the challenges that Liberia faces with a former child soldier and travelled into the Liberian…

May 19, 2024 • 

Daaf Borren

10

4

A messy ride through the desert

In this edition of The Bright Continent I pay tribute to the many bumpy journeys I undertook in rickety taxis, driven by unconventional and outspoken…

May 5, 2024

12

2

April 2024

How Mafalala is slowly turning into Mozambique's Atlantis

For this edition of The Bright Continent I spent time in Mafalala, an infamous suburb in Maputo (the capital of Mozambique) that can best be described…

Apr 21, 2024 • 

Daaf Borren

5

2